If Championships were played out on paper, they would probably just hand Mayo the Sam Maguire Cup and be done with it.

No team has got closer to them than 12 points all summer. Donegal, the holders, lost by 16. The statistic that really excites the mind is their incredible goal ­scoring rate – one every 21-and-a-half minutes.

James Horan recoiled when he saw that stat flagged up in a local paper recently, noting how close fanfare is to failure.

But even the Mayo ­manager had to accept that when it comes to scoring, nobody is doing it better than his team right now.

Horan said: “I think we’re definitely more effective at how we attack than last year.

“We’ve always tried to be an attacking team, always. Last year, we scored 3-18 against Down, we scored 40 points in two games against Dublin. So we scored pretty heavily as well last year, but I think, this year, our return rate is higher again.

“That is a lot to do with the runs we’re making, the support runs and the lines fellas are making. That’s something Donie Buckley (below) has helped us with ­significantly this year. I would say we’re a more ­effective attacking team.”

The problem for Mayo is that few teams shut down attacking units like Tyrone, the inventors of blanket defending.

Last February, Tyrone pitched up in Castlebar, played second fiddle for much of that Allianz League encounter, and still narrowly beat Mayo on their home turf.

The DVD of that game has been played constantly and Horan revealed: “That game was a bizarre game for us and, of course, it’s something we’ve gone back and had a look at. We dominated possession in that game and still ended up losing.

“I know people said it was a controversial ­penalty at the end but that’s ­irrelevant. We were ­dominating the game. There is a lesson in that for us. And we’ve certainly had a look at it a number of times.”

Mayo should still have just enough to break down Tyrone. Despite clogging up their defence with bodies, often ­deploying Joe McMahon (right) as a sweeper, Tyrone have still leaked five goals in six games.

Horan remains ­optimistic, but points out that Tyrone may be steeled by a siege ­mentality. Mickey Harte’s 2008 ­champs have been demonised by TV pundit Joe Brolly for their apparent ­cynical play, ­particularly against Monaghan.

Horan said: “It may help them. I’m sure Mickey Harte will use any means at his disposal to make sure his team are ­properly ­prepared and ­motivated. I’m sure he is rubbing his hands as regards how it has all gone.

“We are the guys shooting the lights out and favourites and no one is talking about ­Tyrone for the football they can play. So I’m sure ­Tyrone are very happy with that and Mickey has used it to help ­prepare his team.”